Partial success of garbage segregation spurs Palike on Bangalore:

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara on Tuesday claimed that its garbage segregation strategy has met with ‘partial success’ and that there was a huge demand for wet waste.

As reports of segregation failing in many parts of the City appeared in the media the Palike put up a brave front and spoke of the success in 11 Yelahanka wards, claiming full compliance with the new rules in these areas. BBMP officials in Yelahanka also said they received orders for wet waste from places like Doddaballapur to convert it into manure by composting.

The BBMP said even legislators and its own corporators were asking for consignments of wet waste in order to convert it to manure, albeit only in a single Palike zone  - Yelahanka.

For 100 tonnes

The profitability of turning wet waste into manure spurred Yelahanka legislator, S R Vishwanath, to ask for 100 tonnes of wet waste, said a Palike official.  
“The local legislator has placed his demand and we are trying to meet it in the next week,” said the official.

A local corporator from the Yelahanka zone also ordered 25 truckloads of wet waste for composting. Farmers from Doddaballapur also asked for 100 tonnes of segregated wet waste for composting, said BBMP.

The demand for wet waste increased on account of the high profitability in the manure business, said the official. He explained that composted manure was fetching recyclers great prices compared to input and transportation costs, making it a viable business proposition.

Transportation cost

“A single truckload of composted manure costs anywhere between Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000 and is transported from Bagepalli or Gowribidnur. Here, farmers and landlords are receiving the wet waste at Rs 5,000 with the transportation cost being borne by the BBMP,” he said.

On Tuesday, BBMP officials estimated that a garbage contractor sold five truck loads of wet waste, each weighing 5.6 tons, for about Rs one lakh.

BBMP Commissioner Rajneesh Goel was all praise for zonal level commissioners, corporators, officials and residents for making the drive successful and understanding the concept of segregation.